From West Ham’s perspective, dragging other sides into the relegation battle can only be seen as a small sign of the club’s uptick in form. Just a few weeks ago, the Hammers were seemingly a Premier League basket case, seven points adrift of their nearest rivals.
Now, according to the standard.co.uk, West Ham have succeeded in making the relegation battle a four way fight – with the losers heading toward the Championship. Mission accomplished – so far so good, But eleven tough games await each of West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and Leeds.
Whilst by general consensus, West Ham have the toughest run-in, the Standard highlights Tottenham’s fixtures against relegation rivals as being crucial;
“Tricky away trips to Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea are unlikely to generate the points Spurs need, but with a four-point buffer to 18th-place West Ham, they know they could be safe with victories against bottom-of-the-table Wolves and relegation rivals Forest and Leeds.”
Graham Potter holds his head in his hands
Potter’s inability to stop West Ham’s cave ins: Striking similarity with today’s Spurs
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Spurs’ ability to crumble under pressure is reminiscent of West Ham under Graham Potter: Their new manager has started badly, unable to make his side more resilient in a similar manner to which Potter flopped trying to stop West Ham’s ‘Lopetegui era’ cave-ins.
West Ham have four points to make up – but form and momentum are on their side. The report’s conclusion is ominous indeed for Tudor’s side:
“Pressure on: Tottenham are the worst team in the Premier League by the recent form table….games against Fulham and Crystal Palace [are] must-win if they are to put distance between themselves and the drop.”
All to play for then in the last quarter of the season. Which for West Ham, is a mini-victory for a side already written off by opponents, critics and pundits alike.